Chicago Bears receive failing grade for 2026 NFL Draft

With the 2026 NFL Draft in the books, the next offseason activity is here as teams move to more OTA’s and rookie minicamp. For the Chicago Bears, they will host their rookie minicamp next week at Halas Hall, as coaches will get their first look at the newest members of the roster.

Chicago’s 2026 draft class consists of seven players as they attempted to add to key positions of need. Time will tell how the Bears did but if Ryan Poles hit on this draft class like he has the past few seasons, Chicago should be in good shape for the future. However, one early grade for the 2026 draft isn’t in favor of the Bears’ class.

Chicago Bears receive failing grade for 2026 NFL Draft

The Athletic’s Austin Mock put together his draft grades via an analytical approach. He graded every team’s draft based on a team’s surplus value in terms of what a prospect can offer not only now but down the road. For the Bears, he had them at an F. Here’s why:

Dillon Thieneman fell to Chicago, so I can’t hate on that pick too much, although I don’t think it’s the home run most have made it out to be. The Bears then drafted for need by taking center Logan Jones (No. 76 on the consensus board) with the 57th pick.

I also thought tight end Sam Roush was a reach, but the worst pick in my model’s opinion was that of wide receiver Zavion Thomas at No. 89 — he ranked 213th on the consensus big board. Again, that’s just a bad use of draft capital, as Thomas likely would have been available at least a round later.

This is a different approach to grades in terms of the draft, so take that for what it’s worth. Chicago’s draft has earned a mixture of different grades so far, some positive and some negative.

But the reality is, we won’t know until these players actually hit the field and a few seasons are in the books.

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